Subject: Foundations of Sociology

Core sheet
Subject code: 7SO30NBK97B

Subject name (hungarian): Foundations of Sociology

Subject name (english): Foundations of Sociology

Credit value: 6

Course leader: Dr. Melegh Attila

Department of subject: Institute of Communication and Sociology

English Version
Subject datasheet
Language of datasheet: English

Language of subject: English

Purpose of subject: The course is a corner stone in social science education, because this is the first
time that students meet key problems, key concepts, and key theories iof sociology being a systematic
study of social relationships. The course is structured around the main topics of sociology, ranging from
globalization to intimate relationships. Students will obtain a general overview about sociology and
problems of social life. A second objective is to gain basic insight into major sociological theories and get
acquainted with basic explanations in social science.

Sustainability: The material of this course is a key asset in studying social sciences, their theories and
methods . The various mechanisms, paradoxes of social life will be key to understand any specific process
in politics, communication, social care etc.The class contributes to understanding the consequences of
social inequalities, unequal development, urbanization and climate change. It contributes to sustainable
development, understanding the problems of poorer countries, gender equity and gender perspectives,
global tolerance and ecological perspectives.

Tasks of the student to be solved individually: Week 1

Lecture: Introduction, overview of the course. What is sociology? The subject matter of sociology. What are
the
key problems of social life?
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 1
Seminar: Introduction, overview of the course.

Week 2
Lecture: Structure and action. The everyday importance of sociology. Is sociology a science? “Science”
and
social sciences. Some key concepts. Reflexivity, critical thinking, social mechanisms. The development of
sociological thinking. Asking and answering sociological questions. Theoretical thinking in sociology. The

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Subject: Foundations of Sociology

development of sociological thought.

Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapters 1-2
Seminar: The development of sociological thinking, key concepts, overview of research methods.

Week 3
Lecture: Globalization and the changing world. Modernization and world-system theory.
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapters 20
Seminar: Globalization and social change

Week 4
Lecture: Work and economy. Commodification, labor as a commodity. Materialism and Marx. Formal and
substantive definition of economy (Hayek versus Polányi). Approaches in economics and sociology.
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 14
Seminar: Work and economy: Why economic sociology is needed?

Week 5
Lecture: Differentiations in society and by society: Class, income, gender, race, ethnicity, citizenship and
age. Definitions and concepts.
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Basic concepts parts in chapters 8-11.
Seminar: Inequality and intersectionality

Week 6
Lecture: Social class and social stratification. Ownership and class, rent versus profit. Is declining
peasantry a class , what does land grabbing do in Africa?
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 8 and 9.
Seminar: wage and non-wage economies

Week 7
Lecture: Ageing, migration (citizenship) and demographic development
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapters 19
Seminar: Why does welfare competition increase globally? Care-migration: Interview analysis.

Week 8
Lecture: Race and Ethnicity
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 11
Seminar: Race and Ethnicity and postcolonial critique

Week 9
Lecture: Gender and Family
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 10, 15
Seminar: Gender and Family. Gender hierarchies. Radical and liberal feminism. Anti-genderism. Interview
and media analysis

Week 10
Lecture: Organizations and Network.
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 6
Seminar: Network and organization. Example of network analysis.

Week 11
Lecture: Education;
Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 16
Seminar: Urban Sociology. Environmental sociology and sociology of education
Week 12

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urbanization and the environment

Compulsory reading: Giddens, Chapter 19,
Week 13
Lecture: Media. Conclusions
Compulsory reading: Giddens 2006
Seminar: Media. Conclusions.

Connection: The class is in connection with methodology, theory and history of sociology and social
sciences. It provides a basic knowledge and conceptual amp.

Number of lessons: 80

Ad Frequency: Fall

Pre-study obligations: none

Method of evaluation: The evaluation is based on assignments, tests and the final test and evaluated
in points.
Assessment, grading: below 60, unsatisfactory, 60-66 points satisfactory, 67-76, fair, 77-86, Good, 87-100,
Excellent.
Seminar presentations 20
Midterm test=30
Active Participation 10
Final exam (test) 40 Exam dates December 20, January 10, January 17
Total 100

Input mode: 1

Type: bachelor

Timetable: Lecture Tuesday: 13,40-15,10 Lecture room XI.

Learning results
Professional Competences - Knowledge:This course provides an introduction to the main problems of
social life and to the foundations of sociological thought.. It goes through concepts and key theories social
action,social structure, population, class, gender, racism, ethnicity, inequality, poverty and media. •The
students will familiarize themselves with the major elements of social science theories regarding the sub-
systems, structure, layers, social norms and values, social action and interaction, and social processes..
The participants learn the most important pieces of knowledge regarding the structural, economic, and
political processes in society, knows and understands the workings of social structure and cultural reasons
that cause social issues.

Professional Competences - ability:The course provides an understanding what concepts are used and how
they are constructed. The participants will learn key steps of empirical research. They will see connections
between various theories and concepts. They will start learning some basic methods of data analysis,
textual analysis, making and understanding graphs and other forms of observation. • In everyday
professional life students can use the main concepts and the relevant special vocabulary precisely. They
will be able to participates in the preparation and realization of complex programs for the reduction of the
consequences of inequalities, social integration, the integration of disadvantaged people.

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Subject: Foundations of Sociology

Professional Competences - attitude:The course provides intellectual attitudes of thinking systematically

about social relationships and their consequences. It requires discipline, hard work and careful reading of
texts. Students learn to become open and reflective to social change, becomes open to adapt viewpoints
that fight prejudice.. Students are also aware of the diversity of thinking in social science, and learns how
to represents such openness and reflexivity in his/her immediate and wider communities.

Professional Competences - autonomy and responsibility:The key aim of the class is to provide some basis
for autonomous thinking about social life and social contradictions. With this the class enhances the sense
of social responsibility in an era when debates on social issues have become very intensive. • A student of
this class organizes his/her own work with an independence and responsibility that is appropriate for
his/her place in the organizational structure. He/she is independent and constructive in forms of
cooperation inside and outside the institution. His/her professional work is characterized by active
citizenship, solidarity, participation in public issues, support for equality, and responsibility for social policy
issues.

Learning activity
Scope:The course covers a wide scope of sociological areas related to social stratification and inequalities

Activity:Students need to perform the following activities

1. systematic reading of various chapters of the textbook.
2. search for various concepts and authors in encyclopedias.
3. Prepare homework
4. Debate issues at class
5. Making small group works in smaller scale empirical research
6. Listen and reformulate heard arguments
7. make video on a social issue

Workload:The work load is 10-12 hours beyond the classes every week.

Results:By the end of the course, students will be familiar with the main concepts and approaches to
sociological theories and research and will be able to draw on this knowledge in their future studies.

Evaluation
Score:100

Learning activity:The students need to make test at seminars and they have to write a final test on
concepts, authors and linkages between theories, concepts and key figures of sociology. The have to write
four pieces of homework set by the seminar leader. One of the homework will be to make a video on social
issues. They need to participate actively in class discussion in seminars and even during lectures. They
need to report all problems they face during the learning in order to avoid stress at the end of the class.
Plagiarism and unethical behavior is seriously punished according to university regulations, and thus
students need to perform the tasks in an honest and responsible manner.

Viewpoints:The learning activity is evaluated on the basis of precision, understanding linkages among

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approaches and concepts.

Mandatory and recommended literatures

Mandatory literature:Deborah Carr,. Anthony Giddens Mitchell Duneier, Richard P Appelbaum (2018,
Eleventh Edition.) Introduction to Sociology
Seagull, London

Uploaded slides and learning materials on Moodle.

Recommended literature:Recommended readings and youtube lecture videos will be discussed during
seminars seeing the proceedings of the classes

Mandatory literature in library

Anthony Giddens: Sociology. 5th edition

Recommended literature in library

Anthony Giddens: Sociology

Harvey (1990): „Time-space compression and the postmodern condition”, The condition of
postmodernity: an enquiry into the origins of cultural change, Oxford, Blackwell, 284–307.

Christakis, N. A., & Fowler, J. H. (2009). Chapter 6. Politically Connected In. Connected: The
surprising power of our social networks and how they shape our lives. Little, Brown.

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 Subject: Foundations of Sociology

DeWind, Josh (eds.): The Handbook of International Migration: The American Experience.
Russel Sage Foundation, New York, 34–52.

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